1. Field of the Invention                Exercise equipment        
2. Description of the Prior Art
Occasionally a descriptive term in this application may be shortened so as to recite only a part rather than the entirety thereof as a matter of convenience or to avoid needless redundancy. In instances in which that is done, applicant intends that the same meaning be afforded each manner of expression. Thus, the term door-mounting loop securing means (104) might be used in one instance but in another, if meaning is otherwise clear from context, expression might be shortened to loop securing means (104) or merely means (104). Any of those forms is intended to convey the same meaning.
The term attach or fasten or any of their forms when so used means that the juncture is of a more or less permanent nature, such as might be accomplished by nails, screws, welds or adhesives. Thus, it is stated herein that the object strap (22) connection to a cam-buckle (21) is one of attachment, for which purpose an attachment sector (33)—or more specifically, a sewn sector (331)—is employed. A connection in which one object is easily removed from another is described by the word emplace, as where it is stated herein that the buffering sheath (24) is emplaced to to enwrap certain portions of the cam-buckles (21). A connection in which two objects, although not attached, could be separated only with considerable difficulty is referred to herein as one of rigid emplacement. The impingement of a buckle's cammed sector (217) against an anchoring strap (1) is stated herein to be such a connection. Employment of the words connector join or any of their forms is intended to include the meaning of any of those terms in a more general way.
The word comprise may be construed in any one of three ways herein. A term used to describe a given object is said to comprise it, thereby characterizing it with what could be considered two-way equivalency in meaning for the term. Thus, it is stated that the portion of the door enwrapment strap (100) between the ends (101, 102) comprises its mid-length (103), meaning that the latter (103) is in fact the former. The term comprise may also be characterized by what might be considered one-way equivalency, as when it is stated herein that the door enwrapping strap (100) comprises the anchoring strap (1) of the assembly, meaning that in the given instance, the enwrapping strap (100) is itself (100) the anchoring strap (1). This use of the word has a generic sense to it. That is, a door enwrapping strap (100) will always be an anchoring strap (1) but an anchoring strap (1) may be a door enwrapping strap (100) in one case but something else in another. However, the word comprise may also be used to describe a feature which is part of the structure or composition of a given object. Thus, a given embodiment of the inventive assembly is said to preferably comprise, among other things, an intermediate linkage ring (23) as a component thereof. The meaning in the respective cases is clear from context, however. Accordingly, modifying words to clarify which of the three uses is the intended one seem unnecessary.
Terms relating to physical orientation such as top or bottom, upper or lower, refer to the positioning of the object—the adjusting assembly (2), the anchoring strap itself (1) or the components of either (1, 2)—in the manner they (1, 2) would ordinarily be observed if positioned for use. This convention has been adopted as a matter of convenience in discussing orientation and as shown in the drawings, the adjusting assembly (2) regarded as being brought to a point either higher or lower on the anchoring strap (1), itself (1) mounted, where used for exercise, vertically upon the door. The use of the terms in this manner must, of course, be interpreted so as to be equally understood regardless of what attitude the assembly is positioned—such as, for example, if the more generically described assembly—one applied to uses possibly outside of the domain of athletics—were anchored other than vertically.
Certain words have been coined herein to simplify discussion. In some cases, a verb is converted to a noun or adjective and, perhaps, vice-versa. For example, enreeve or derivations thereof such as enreevement stem from the word reeve and are used as a shorthand expression to more conveniently describe an arrangement in which an elongated object is inserted through a given opening. The same is true of enwrapment, deriving from the word enwrap, in which one object is circumscribed within a covering enclosure. The term strap intersection or strap intersection site identifies the meeting place of the end of one strap with some portion of another, such as might be formed, for example, if a cam-buckle (21) were disposed at the juncture. The term slide-braked, ante, refers to the inability of a cam-buckle (21) to be moved, or slid, in a particular direction along a strap. The terms attachment sector and sewn sector (331) identify the site a given attachment is made, the latter referring specifically to a stitched connection upon a strap or straps. The term cammed merely derives from cam and describes a given assembly's configuration. The meanings of such terms are generally explained ante.
The term cam-buckle (21) is used herein to describe a familiar gripping member relatively new but now committed to prior art. It (21) comprises a free-sliding face (211), a thumb lever face (212), an impinging end (213) and a tethering end (214). The impinging end (213) is that which grips the portion of an anchoring strap (1) extended through an opening therein (213). Upon manipulating a thumb lever (218), a cammed member is brought to bear at a cammed sector (217). When the strap (1) is tugged against the camming action its (1) movement is prevented and the assembly is said herein to be slide-braked. A sufficiently vigorous tug in the opposite direction, however, tends to release the cam's grip allowing the strap (1) to slide through the buckle (21). In the former case, the tug causes the strap (1) to engage the buckle's (21) cammed sector (217), ante; the more one tugs, the stronger the grip. In the latter, it (1) becomes disengaged from that sector (217) so that persistent tugging actually weakens the grip. Even with the presence of a knurled finish (215) to enhance the jaws' grip, the slide-braking phenomena remains uni-directional—or, one-way.
In an embodiment in which the buckle (21) comprises a biased spring against the force of which the thumb lever (218) is depressed or pinched down to release the cammed grip, the following observations are appropriate concerning the anchoring strap's (1) movement relative to the buckle (21): The direction of tugging upon the strap (1) which results in slide-braking is from the thumb lever face (212) toward the free-sliding face (211) and that which allows strap (1) to slide through the buckle (21) is the opposite. The phenomena demonstrates the properties of a first degree lever with the force applied to the lever (218) at one end, the load at the other and a lever axle (216) for the fulcrum in between.
In models in which no biased spring is present, however, the camming agent, often disposed integrally upon perimeter of the axle (216), is forced directly against the strap (1) by the thumb lever's (218) rotational manipulation. Although leverage does not play a dominant role in this jamming action, that which is present may be considered to derive from the short distance between the gripping portion of the cammed structure and the center of the lever axle (216), now the fulcrum, in second degree lever fashion.
In seat belts and certain other cammed arrangements, the one-way slippage feature actually facilitates the strap's (1) tightening. Although useful in certain important respects, one can see that this feature provides serious shortcomings where an assembly is dedicated to a different purpose and a reliable strap intersection site is desired.
As indicated supra, it is the anchoring strap (1), as designated herein, which comprises that extended through and impinged within the cam-buckle (21). There are various ways in which it (1) may be reeved through, however. It (1) may, for example, be inserted end-to-end within the buckle (21) and an attached object strap (22) may be allowed to extend from the buckle's tethering end (214) to connect with objects or assemblies—including exercise devices (500)—tethered from the strap intersection. If, instead, an end of the anchoring strap (1) were substituted for the object strap (22), a loop would be formed into a lasso-like assembly. In any event, upon releasing its (21) grip upon the anchoring strap (1), the buckle (21) may be slid in either direction along the strap (1).
Strung through the spring-biased cam buckle (21) in the first manner, as its designating terminology suggests, both ends of the anchoring strap (1) securely fix it (1) in place—that is, indeed anchor it (1)—to a given site. Once so anchored, the cam-buckle (21) is easily repositioned in either direction along the strap (1) merely by manipulating its thumb lever (218).
It would seem that a cam-buckle (21) could benefit a door-enwrapping exercise assembly because it would provide the capability of quickly changing the exercise tethering point (200) inherently comprised by such an assembly. It would only remain to overcome the one-way shortcomings discussed supra.
One very early instance of cam-like impinging action upon an anchoring strap (1) was U.S. Pat. No. 631,486 issued to Fischer in which a certain tilted disposition of the buckle (21) relative to the strap (1)—a horse rein in that instance—permitted elliptical transverse members to slide along it (1). Even earlier, U.S. Pat. No. 307,345 issued to Smith had featured a cam-buckle (21) in which clamping teeth were cammed without benefit of a biased spring to grip an anchoring strap (1) in a pair of suspenders. A few years later, U.S. Pat. No. 1,139,036 issued to Humphrey applied impingement action, if not precisely camming action, to secure a trouser belt buckle. The slide-braking effect was provided by urging a moving member along an opening into an increasingly narrowed sector thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,442,266 issued to Davis; U.S. Pat. No. 3,678,542 issued to Prete, Jr.; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,020,612 issued to Meeker all involved spring-biased camming action wherein a cammed sector (217) was integrally disposed directly upon the buckle's lever axle (216). In all three, the thumb lever (218) was manipulated to act against the bias of the spring. The second of them was configured to require depressing the thumb lever (218) to disengage the strap (1) from the cam, the other two requiring that the lever (218) be raised for such purpose. In the Davis patent, the anchoring strap (1) was the only one employed, one of its (1) ends looped around for insertion through openings at the buckle's tethering end (214) for service as an object strap (22), ante. In the Prete, Jr. patent, both ends of the anchoring strap were strung to extend in the same direction. As it happens, however, the particular routing of the strap (1) is not a matter of great concern. It is, rather, the character of the cam-buckle itself (21) which is the major subject of focus.
Ultimately, an interesting but less pertinent slide-braking seat buckle was provided in U.S. Pat. No. 3,165,805 issued to Lower to operate without reliance upon camming action at all but, rather, upon the interpositioning of a mechanical obstruction. Moreover, certain design patents accumulated along the way and even afterward, including U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 171,045 issued to Noe; Des. 188,897 issued to Prete, Jr.; and Des. 274,861 issued to Lindblad. In these, all presumably incorporating spring-biased members, camming operation is somewhat vague but strongly inferred.
As suggested, supra, it would be beneficial if the otherwise convenient cam-buckle (21) could be incorporated within an exercise or other assembly to provide a dependable tethering point (200)-one which does not slip out of place when tugging efforts are applied in the non-slide-braking direction. For exercise purposes, for example, an assembly could then be mounted upon a door's face (601) with the anchoring strap (1) run vertically around it and secured on its reverse side (602). Changing the location of the tethering point (200) from high to low or vice-versa could be accomplished with a simple lever (218) manipulation and reliable slide-braking could be counted upon to occur regardless of the tethering direction—that is, whether downwards or upwards. Considering the uni-directional characteristics of the cam-buckle (21), that might seem an impossible objective. How might one employ the common cam-buckle (21) with this inherent shortcoming to provide reliable bi-directional braking capability? Might not one convert this negative or disadvantageous property into a positive or beneficial one?
The simple cam-buckle (21) has given us much in the way of mechanical convenience in a multitude of modern conveniences and thereby filled substantial needs and objectives. Yet, those pointed out supra thus far remain only partly addressed in the prior art. That just immediately addressed, has not been met at all.